Gengar open with shadow ball, how is that possible?

Today in ultra league my opponent switched in a Gengar (for the first time in the match).
Its first move was Shadow Ball!
How is that possible? There seemed not to be any lag.

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I’ve seen similar, but not that extreme. Poliwrath switches in, makes one fast move, and drops a DP on my Snorlax. Was willing to bet a lot of money that it was a PuP coming, very unpleasant surprise.

I suspect it has to do with the changes to stop the airplane mode hack, but am not sure. What I’ve seen is that during the preseason I could reliably predict whether the foe had enough energy for the big move or not (good foes will power it up and then use the small one to bait shields), but since the season started, the situation is a lot more uncertain. Not happy about it.


I dunno what’s going on today, but same thing happened MULTIPLE times to me today (opponent Swamperts firing 2 HC after 4 Mus Shots, Poliwhats firing 2 IP after 4 Mud Shots…) and by now I am frustrated as f*** by this (it’s rare for me to get any kind of lag that ruins the game and to had it happend more than once today…)

Same situation here, just with a Dialga and Iron Head. Guy subs in and BAM! Iron Head onto my Charizard after like 2 Dragon Breath. As I’m on IH away from fainting, and I’ve got Blast Burn almost charged, I use a Shield, block it, no problem. Then 2 DB more from the guy, I’m tapping like mad on Blast Burn but BAM! ANOTHER Iron Head.

Damn near threw my phone across the apartment.

The worst thing about these situations is that one would expect that they would benefit from it about half the time. I never seem to get my moves off too soon, it’s always the foe.

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Had another one today, I have Giratina in, KO’s foe, foe puts in Dialga. I immediately switch to my Dialga, to preserve Giratina for his half dead Kyogre, and start firing up Iron Head. Just before I get mine ready to fire, he fires a move (no shields for either of us), and I figure it’s his Iron Head getting off first, but no, it’s Draco Meteor. No idea how he got DM charged up before I got IH charged. No, he wasn’t in before. Had to be some sort of weird change lag.